Christmas Shoes
by Usami
Summary: /songfic/ Carrot isn't really into the Christmas season. Maybe he just needs a reminder of what Christmas is really about...


Okay, so I don't know if the Sorcerer Hunters celebrate Christmas. In fact, I highly doubt it. But, I liked this song, and I wanted to use it, so I had to have them celebrate Christmas. Okay, enough 'bout that. I don't own Sorcerer Hunters, and I don't own this song. Enjoy the story!

**Christmas Shoes**

Carrot grumbled as he made his way down the hall of the Stella Church. His eyes looked around as he walked, taking in the decorations. Christmas was tomorrow, and he still needed to buy a gift for his brother and Tira. It wasn't that shopping for them was hard, it was just he had other things to do.

Walking into the dining hall, he was stopped by Chocolate, blocking his way. "Good morning, Darling," she replied.

"What do you want, Chocolate?" he grumbled.

She pointed above him to the mistletoe hanging on the banister.

Carrot rolled his eyes, gently moving Chocolate aside. "I told you before, Chocolate, I'm not into that kinda stuff."

"Oh, but Darling, its tradition!"

Carrot shook his head, grabbing a piece of bread off the table, preparing to head out.

"Where are you going?" Tira asked.

Swallowing the bite of bread he took, he bluntly replied, "Shopping." With that, he left.

Gateau took a sip from his mug. "What a grouch," he said. Marron shook his head.

"I always thought Carrot used to like Christmas," Tira said.

"He did," the younger Glace brother replied. "Up until Mother's death, anyway. After that. . . . well, something happened, and he changed."

"What about you, Marron?" the elder Misu sister wondered.

Marron simply shrugged. "I suppose Brother and I handled it different ways. He keeps giving gifts to those he cares about, but the Christmas spirit just seemed to have. . . . left him."

* * *

Carrot sighed, shifting the gifts in his arms, looking at the line he was standing in. 'This is taking forever,' he thought. 'At least I'm almost done. After I pay for these, I'll be done shopping for everyone, and thanks to the raise from Big Momma, I should have enough to buy some drinks later.' He shifted the packages again. 'The sooner I pay for these, the sooner I can get back to the Stella Church, wrap them, and then rest for a while.' 

**It was almost Christmas time  
****There I stood in another line  
****Trying to buy that last gift or two  
****Not really in the Christmas mood**

Carrot looked down at the boy in front of him. 'All I have to do is wait for this kid to pay, and it'll be my turn.' The boy in front of him seemed to squirm around, waiting restlessly for his turn to pay. Kicking his feet around, the boy would look down at the ground before looking up at the merchant taking care of the woman in front of him. The small booth was only one of the others in the market place filled with people buying things for Christmas.

That was when the young Glace noticed what the boy was holding. In his arms was a beautiful pair of dancing shoes.

**Standing right in front of me  
****Was a…little boy waiting anxiously  
****Pacing 'round like little boys do  
****And in his hands he held…a pair of shoes**

Carrot cocked an eyebrow; the shoes looked very expensive, nothing a little parsoner boy like him could afford. Looking the boy over, he noted that he did look like a common parsoner, his clothes worn out, and dirt matted his hair and covered his face.

'Not only are those shoes too expensive, what would a young boy like him want with dancing shoes, anyway?' Carrot wondered.

Finally, the boy was able to go up to the merchant. Placing the shoes on the booth counter, the boy pulled out a small bag, filled with coins, placing it next to the shoes.

What came next was a surprise to Carrot.

**And his clothes were torn and old  
****He was dirty from head to toe  
****And when it came his time to pay  
****I couldn't believe what I heard him say**

The boy looked around, his head darting back and forth. Looking back at the merchant, he said, "Sir, could you please hurry?"

The merchant opened the bag of coins. "There's a lot here," the merchant said.

"I've been saving a long time. Please, hurry."

"What's the rush, little boy?"

"Well, these shoes are the right size for my mom, who's been sick for as long as I can remember. Please, hurry, sir. My dad says Mom doesn't have much time left, and I want her to have these just in case she does have to go."

Inside, Carrot could feel his heart pounding.

**"Sir, I wanna buy these shoes  
****For my mama please  
****It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size  
****Could you hurry, sir  
****Daddy says there's not much time  
****You see…she's been sick for quite a while and I…  
****Know these shoes will make her smile and I…  
****Want her to look beautiful…if Mama meets Jesus…tonight"**

The merchant counted the coins in the small leather pouch. When he finished, he looked sadly at the young boy. "I'm sorry," he said, "but you don't have enough money for these shoes."

Eyes widening, the boy worriedly looked through his pockets, hoping to find more to pay for the shoes. After a while, he hung his head, defeated. As the boy turned to go, Carrot could see tears forming in the corner of the young child's eyes.

**They counted pennies for what seemed like years  
****Then the cashier said "Son, there's not enough here."  
****He searched his pockets frantically  
****Then he turned and he looked at me**

"I wish I could get these shoes for Mom," the boy said. "She always, somehow, was able to get me everything I wanted for Christmas. She would always get the things I wanted, even if it meant not getting what she wanted."

Taking the shoes from the counter, he boy looked at them longingly. "I really wanted to give these shoes to Mom for Christmas, especially since Dad says that this will be her last Christmas with us."

**"Mama made Christmas good at our house  
****Most years she just did without  
****Tell me, sir, what am I gonna do!?  
****Somehow I gotta buy her…these Christmas shoes"**

Pulling a small coin pouch from his pocket, Carrot placed it on the counter. He knew what it was like to lose a mother, even if his mother didn't die right before Christmas. Still, he wanted to help out.

"Will this be enough to pay for the shoes?" Carrot asked. The little boy turned around suddenly, looking at the man before him. The Glace boy just smiled.

Taking the bag from the counter, the merchant counted the money inside. Looking at them, he smiled and nodded.

A wide smile appeared on the boy's lips, his eyes brightened. "Thank you, sir!" the boy said, hugging Carrot. "Thank you so much! My mom's gonna love these shoes!"

**So I laid the money down  
****I just had to help him out  
****And I'll never forget the look on his face  
****When he said, "Mama's gonna look so great!"**

Pulling back, the boy looked up at Carrot. "Thank you! I wish there was some way I could pay you back."

Carrot shook his head. "No need, kid. It's Christmas Eve, after all."

The boy's eyes brightened, as he wiped his tears away. "Thank you so much, sir!"

**"Sir, I wanna buy these shoes  
****For my mama please  
****It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size  
****Could you hurry, sir  
****Daddy says there's not much time  
****You see…she's been sick for quite a while and I…  
****Know these shoes will make her smile and I…  
****Want her to look beautiful…if Mama meets Jesus…tonight"**

Carrot couldn't help but smile, as the boy practically jumped up and down as the merchant wrapped the shoes, then gave the package to the boy. The boy took the package, thanking the merchant, then, with a quick look at Carrot, ran home.

In his heart, the young man could feel his heart swell with joy. 'It's been so long since I've felt this way,' he thought. 'So this is how Christmas is meant to be, huh? I'm glad I remember now. It's because of that little boy.' Looking up at the sky, he added silently, 'Thank you for reminding me what Christmas is really about.'

**I knew I caught a glimpse of Heaven's love  
****As he thanked me and ran out  
****I knew that God has sent that little boy…  
****To remind me…what Christmas is all about!**

* * *

Christmas morning, Carrot burst into the room, scaring everyone there. "Merry Christmas!" he greeted. 

The ones in the room blinked. "Merry Christmas," they replied with less enthusiasm than the elder Glace.

"Come on, you guys!" he chastised, waving a finger at them. "Where's your Christmas spirit?"

"Brother," Marron asked, "are you feeling alright?"

"Sure, Marron. Why wouldn't I be?"

Before the younger Glace could answer, Chocolate appeared in front of Carrot. "The Christmas spirit, eh, Darling?" she asked, a sly smile on her lips. She motioned above the door post.

Looking up, a small smile appeared on Carrot's face, shaking his head slightly. "Alright, Chocolate. But just one, okay?"

All of their eyes widened. "Really?" the others asked.

He nodded. Chocolate smiled, closing her eyes as she leaned closer to Carrot. Gently, he leaned closer to her, as their lips gently brushed together, before he pulled back again.

Chocolate sighed happily, opening her eyes as she left the dining room, floating on her cloud of content.

Carrot smiled as he watched her leave. Turning back to the others, his eyes settled on Marron. "Hey, Marron?" he said.

"Yes Brother?"

"What do ya say, after opening presents, you and I go for a walk?"

Marron blinked. "Really?"

Carrot nodded, then winked. "Really. Just like we used to do."

* * *

Marron stole a glance at his older brother. 'He's acting very strange today. We haven't gone on a walk on Christmas ever since Mother died. I wonder what's going on.' 

"Brother?" he asked verbally.

"Yeah, Marron?"

"What's going on?"

Carrot stopped, meeting his brother in the eye. "What do you mean?"

"It's been so long since we've gone on our Christmas walk, Brother. Just like before, after opening our presents. But, somehow, it just seems too good to be true. It makes me wonder, what are you up to?"

Carrot rolled his eyes. "I'm not up to anything, Marron. I just figured, since it's been so long since we've gone our Christmas walk, it would be nice to revive this Christmas tradition."

"But that's just it, Brother. Ever since Mother died, you've never been one for Christmas traditions. But, ever since last night, something happened to you. What changed you?"

Before Carrot could answer, a young voice rang throughout the area. "Sir! Sir!"

Both Glace brothers turned around, seeing a young boy running up to them. When the boy stopped, Carrot gasped.

"Hey, it's you," he said. "You're the boy from yesterday."

The boy nodded. "Sir, I know I've said it before, but I really wanted to thank you for what you did yesterday."

Carrot ignored Marron's wondering look. "Like I said, it's no problem."

"My mom really like the gift. She got it just in time, too."

"That's good to hear. But, is she……?"

The boy nodded, wiping away a few tears. "But I'm glad she could wear them before she left. Anyway, my dad wanted me to find you, to pay you back."

Carrot shook his head. "Really, it's fine."

"I know. But it is Christmas." Reaching in his pocket, the boy pulled out a small sac of money. "Merry Christmas, sir." And with that, the boy ran off.

"Brother?" Marron asked. "What was that about?"

"I'll explain that later." Carrot looked at his brother, a smile crossing his lips. "But to answer your previous question, Marron, I guess you could say that that boy you just saw gave me back what Christmas really means."

**"Sir, I wanna buy these shoes  
****For my mama please  
****It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size  
****Could you hurry, sir  
****Daddy says there's not much time  
****You see…she's been sick for quite a while and I  
****Know these shoes will make her smile and I…  
****Want her to look beautiful…if Mama meets Jesus…tonight"**

Marron blinked, slightly confused. Carrot laughed, realizing that Marron didn't get that way very often.

"Let me rephrase that," Carrot said. "That little boy, we have a lot of things in common with him. Last night, I helped him pay for a gift, but he helped me, too. He gave me back the meaning of Christmas. Hopefully, he'll be able to keep it with him too, especially since he lost his mother so close to Christmas."

Closing his eyes, Carrot felt a small breeze blow by him. 'I hope they have a good Christmas,' he thought. 'Life's too short to dwell on such sad things. We have to enjoy all the good times given to us. Isn't that right…Mom?'

**"I want her to look beautiful…if mama meets Jesus…tonight"**

**The End**

Well, whatcha think? Good? Bad? Stupid? If you liked it, THANK YOU!!! If you didn't…………………well…………………Please review.


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